cliff if washington can't strike a deal. so with the clock ticking and the stakes so high, both the white house and republican leaders are tamping down their fiery rhetoric. listen to president obama's sales pitch for his version of a compromise. >> when you put it all together, what you need is a package that keeps taxes where they are for middle class families, we make some tough spending cuts on things that we don't need, and then we ask the wealthiest americans to pay a slightly higher tax rate. >> brianna keilar is at the white house. brianna, are meetings going on outside of the public's view? is that your understanding? >> reporter: well, there are discussions. that is what we're told. as we understand it, obviously, the last meeting between the president and speaker boehner was on sunday. but we're told by both the white house and the speaker's office that discussions are ongoing, so, obviously, they can all pick up the telephone, and that, quote, the lines of communication are open. this is thing we're hearing over